KABUL — NATO commander Gen. John Allen apologized Friday over the deaths of 18 Afghan civilians during a coalition air strike in central Logar Province this week.

Allen went to the province Friday “to see local leaders and the population to apologize and offer condolences to the families,” Brig. Gen. Carsten Jacobson told AFP.

Afghan officials said 18 people died in the Wednesday air strike, which occurred during a joint Afghan and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) operation to capture a Taliban commander in Logar’s Baraki Barak district.

The troops came under fire while trying to capture the commander, and they called in the air strike for support. ISAF said in a statement this week that the “precision” air strike was called in only after coalition forces were fired upon.

Two NATO soldiers and an Afghan soldier also were wounded in the operation, Logar provincial spokesman Mirwais Mirzakwal said Wednesday.